• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, October 19, 2022

Instacart on Wednesday launched an objective-based framework for buying ads in its self-service portal, Ads Manager. The idea is to automate the ad-creation process, similar to the way Google and Microsoft built their respective platforms to support advertisers.

The company says the objective-based framework marks an extensive upgrade in the way brands will buy media.

Starting today, advertisers will start the campaign creation process by choosing an objective, which will streamline the ad setup by reorienting their campaign around specific goals.

Brands choosing “reach,” “engage,” or “maximize sales,” for example, with their campaigns in the new Ads Manager framework will see recommendations for the ad formats, targeting, and bidding options to help them achieve their campaign goals.

This new objective-based framework provides guidance and options for more than 5,500 brand partners on Instacart.

An advertiser choosing the “engage” objective with shoppable video ads, for example, will be guided toward using keyword targeting to engage consumers at higher-intent moments in the shopping journey. This new capability enables CPG brands to engage with consumers while they are searching or browsing for complementary products. 

The company also made shoppable video ads available to all 5,550 consumer product goods (CPG) partners on Instacart. The video ads were piloted by more than 40 advertisers, including Celsius, Clorox, Hormel, and Mondelez International.

Shoppable video ads combine immersive media creative experiences with a set of in-line shoppable products to shorten the path from discovery to purchase. Shoppable video ads are available in Ads Manager and are designed to help CPG brands achieve objectives to reach and engage consumers on Instacart, depending on their campaign goal.

Shoppable videos on Instacart auto-play with sound off and can be between three and 30 seconds long.

Advertisers can select and pin three to 20 directly shoppable products from their portfolios with Instacart’s seamless add-to-cart functionality. The ad unit can also drive consumers to a custom landing page or product detail page.